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Frowning, Peyton shook her head, and finally sat back to sink into the couch cushions, suddenly tired. It was exhausting just recounting all the many sins and atrocities, and she wished she had better answers for Mara, especially for the last question, but she didn't.

"He dated Horace, manipulated his feelings." The anger and indignation had left her voice by this point. "I don't know why he did it, or if he'd do it to more people. I don't think he did it to Rodney, but I guess they could have kept it secret if he had."

Her hand came up to push soft curls back from her face. "I don't know why he's not in jail, other than we don't have a jail. I don't know why he's not been dealt with more finitely for everything he's done. The Deaths of the potential recruits in the pods should have been enough, but somehow weren't." Frankly, it was a little depressing just thinking about it. Or hopeless, more like.

She blinked, head tilting as she glanced a little more fully at Mara. "Not everyone, definitely not most of the new trainees yet. I've just been here a long time, and it's not that big an island. My specialization is combat training, so I do have contact with a lot of people."

Her shoulders came up in a small shrug. "I think there are, but I don't know where they are or what level of access they are. That's a Death or Life division thing."

"You're welcome," she answered, voice picking up at the end in half a question. It couldn't be the easiest thing, hearing damning truths about a family member. Although, she thought, maybe not, considering Mara had never met Lawr before, and had no relationship with him.

It was hard to say.

"You mean like the leads?" Her brows arched as she asked it, not entirely sure if that was what Mara meant.

"Not generals, but they are leaders. They lead the different divisions. I know who they are, but don't know all of them personally." She frowned thoughtfully.

"Caelius, Edith, Allen," as she said each name she stuck a finger up. "Dr. H, and Lance. They each have an assistant; Mark, Zoe, Simon, Mary, and...I'm not sure it is for Mist at the moment. Bree, maybe?"

Oh that was an easy one. "People are always changing based on their experiences, but change is neither good nor bad." She'd glanced down to Mara's purse as she'd put the pen away, but looked back up again, fairly certain she knew who the other girl was talking about.

"Do I think he can change for the better? I don't know, but I've seen inside his head, and it's static and darkness, and if there was ever anything light in him it died a long time ago." Even saying it, she knew there was no way to properly convey what she'd seen in Lawrence, or the utter absence of emotion. Even thinking about it had her wrapping her arms around herself as a shiver raced up her spine and made the small hairs at the back of her neck stand at attention.

She got to her feet to mask the involuntary reaction, forcing her hands back down to her sides. "Maybe he won't do any of these awful things again, but it won't be because he feels remorse for them." And that, to her, was the fundamental point. "It'll be to survive."

The Sun friend. "No, I don't have any reason to hate you."

Her head tipped as she watched Mara, trying to read her expression, to get an idea of what she was thinking. "Should I?"

"I'd be disappointed. That you're choosing to stand by someone that has a vicious and consistent track record for violence and sociopathic tendencies based solely on the fact that they contributed DNA to your creation." Peyton could feel her shoulders sagging but couldn't, or didn't bother to stop the action.

"He wasn't there to help raise you, he's never been a father to you before now, so why stand by him now?" Mara didn't have a connection to him now other than blood, she didn't have to forge a familial bond with him if she didn't want to. "I can understand wanting to get to know Mik and Malk, but why him? Why associate with him if you don't have to, after everything you just learned about him?" She could feel that hopelessness welling up inside her again.